The production of this SUV will go on for next 15 months and they have invested about $631 million in the plant.

The top selling SUV will be developed by 3100 employees under 2 shifts and they are estimated to build 70 units per hour .i.e. the production of 1 unit in just 42 seconds!

The company hopes to extend the workers’ number to 4600 at least by the second half of 2012.

The plant has previously developed Explorer that had closed in 2012 for renovation purposes and during that time, about 2000 employees were laid off and the production of Explorer SUV moved to Chicago plant.



They are adding workers at the plant and have given them a program on teaching ‘new state-of-art techniques and tools’ and are being trained to develop the ultimate new Escape 2013.

As of now, only employees fitted in first 2 shifts have been hired and few are yet to be hired for work in the third shift and that may happen in August.

The expected growth of the plant will make it one of the largest factories in Ford’s North American branch.

For 2011, Edge is completely refreshed with interior design, updated exterior styling, new front/rear fascias as well as numerous high-tech safety and entertainment features.

2011 Edge Engine Specs

2011 Edge SE, SEL, and Limited trims are powered by a 3.5-L V6 engine that produces 285 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque, paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The Edge Sport utilizes a 3.7-liter V6 engine that cranks out 305 hp and torsion of about 280 lb-ft, mated to 6-speed auto with manual shift control.

Fuel Economy

The EPA-fuel economy ratings of standard 3.5-L model are 19 mpg in city, 26 mpg on hwy (19 mpg combined) with all-wheel drive and 19/27/22 mpg with front-wheel drive.

The Edge Sport has 17/23/19 mpg rating with all-wheel drive and 18/25/20 mpg with FWD.

Safety Features

The standard safety features of 2011 Edge include

• Antilock disc brakes,
• Blind-spot mirrors,
• Stability control (with rollover avoidance logic),
• Full-length side curtain airbags, and
• Front-seat side airbags,

Pricing

The base price of new Ford Edge 2011 is around $27,515 and the MSRP of Edge Sport is $38,375.

Engine Specs

2010 Edge hybrid is powered by a V6 engine that runs on E85 and paired with an electric motor that is capable of boosting the power level up to 200 hp.



The gasoline-electric hybrid version of the Edge uses a new hybrid technology to give an improved combined gas mileage of 40 mpg. It also contributes effectively for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Pricing

The price range of the naturally aspirated Edge models ranges from $25,000 (FWD SE) to $29,000 (AWD SEL).

Many optional features are offered over and on top of Edge trims including HID headlights, 20-in wheel packages, back up warning sensors, power tailgate as well as rear DVD entertainment system.

Seeing the above fact, you can expect that the price range of Ford Edge Hybrid 2010 would be above the top-ranging SEL model. The MSRP of Edge Hybrid is around $33,000 range as it includes unique Hybrid features.

Engine Specs

2010 Edge is equipped with a 3.5-L V6 engine that pumps out 265 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque, mated to a standard 6-speed automatic transmission.

All trims come standard with front-wheel drive configuration, but SE can also be equipped with all-wheel drive guise.

In performance testing, FWD Edge went from zero to sixty mph in a time span of 8.1 seconds. Edge is capable of towing up to 3,500 pounds when equipped properly.

Driving Impression

2010 Edge is most notable for its comfortable ride, though it’s steering doesn’t provide much road feel. The standard V6 engine provides strong acceleration.

Pricing

The pricing of 2010 Ford Edge SE is $25,952-$27,420 range, FWD SEL is available at the invoice price around $28,408 and MSRP is $30,420.

The invoice price of front-wheel drive Edge Limited is around $30,956 and MSRP is $33,220. The high-level Sport version is priced at the higher range. The invoice price of Edge Sport is around $31,593 and MSRP is $33,920.

2011 Ford Edge Pictures Gallery

2011 Edge Exterior	2011 Edge On Road	2011 Edge Outlook
2011 Edge Rear View	2011 Edge Side View	Blue 2011 Edge
Red 2011 Edge	White 2011 Edge	2011 Edge Front View

Ford Edge Photos

Black Edge	Blue Edge	Edge Front View
Edge Interior	Edge On Road	Edge Rear View
Edge Outlook	Edge Top View	White Edge

Trims

2011 Edge is available in entry-level SE, luxury Limited, volume-selling SEL, and performance-oriented Sport trims; all of them are powered by a naturally aspirated V6 engine.

Engine Specs

2011 Edge utilizes a new hybrid system from Ford, and uses the E85 fuel blend that contains 15 percent of gasoline and 85 percent of ethanol. These ethanol-fueled hybrids are commonly made from corn and help in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions.

The hybrid electric vehicles reduce the carbon dioxide emissions up to 25 percent with E85 ethanol fuel, rather than carbon-rich gasoline.

New Edge hybrid is powered by a V6 engine, paired to an electric motor that is capable of generating power levels of up to 200 hp.

Pricing

The price range of four-wheel drive Edge models is around $25,000 to $29,000.

The MSRP of 2011 Ford Edge Hybrid is slightly greater than that of SEL models and since it comes with many optional features.

The base price of hybrid version starts at $35,000.

Gas Mileage

Edge comes both in front – wheel drive and all – wheel drive. The front – wheel model gives 17 mpg on city streets and 24 mpg on highways. The combined fuel economy is rated at 19 mpg. On the other hand, the all – wheel drive model yields 15 mpg within city limits, 22 mpg on off – city limits and a combined figure of 18 mpg.

Trim levels

2010 Edge comes in five trim levels; SE, SE Fleet, SEL, Limited and Sport. SE Fleet comes in front – wheel drive and hence offers 17mpg city/24mpg highway/19mpg combined. While all other trim levels, which come in all – wheel drive, offer 15 mpg city/22 mpg highway/18 mpg combined.

The discussion above gives us a detailed view of 2010 Ford Edge Gas Mileage. The above stats are typical results of a midsize crossover but larger seven – seater models match them.